After Boris Johnson resigned from the campaign for the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, Penny Mordaunt is under pressure to garner enough support to challenge frontrunner Rishi Sunak.
The former chancellor has by far the most avowed supporters among Conservative legislators.
Ms. Mordaunt needs 100 MPs to support her by the deadline for nominations at 14:00 BST.
Her campaign claimed she was over 90 years old, “For the party, it is essential that our members have a voice.”
If Ms. Mordaunt reaches 100 supporters, the campaign might proceed to an online vote of Conservative Party members, with the winner announced on Friday.
Former cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom, one of her supporters, stated that there is “absolutely no prospect” that Penny will withdraw from the leadership campaign.
George Freeman, though, has urged Ms. Mordaunt to join and support Mr. Sunak rather than hold a membership vote in the interest of unity and stability.
Mr. Johnson’s declaration that he would not run has put pressure on Ms. Mordaunt to step down, allowing Mr. Sunak to assume leadership of the party without a vote.
Mr. Johnson, who resigned as prime minister barely seven weeks ago, stated in a statement on Sunday that he had sufficient support to run, but that it was “simply not the appropriate moment.”
He was succeeded as prime minister by Liz Truss, who resigned last week after 45 days in office marked by political and economic instability.
Many of Mr. Johnson’s supporters, like Conservative MP James Duddridge, were taken aback by his sudden withdrawal “That was certainly unexpected. Going to bed!”
Other supporters of Mr. Johnson, including former cabinet member Nadine Dorries, argued that he was the only candidate with a mandate to be prime minister and that his withdrawal made a general election inevitable.
With Mr. Johnson’s elimination from the campaign for leadership, several MPs have shifted their nominations to the two remaining candidates.
192 MPs have publicly supported Mr. Sunak and 27 MPs have publicly supported Ms. Mordaunt.
Paul Goodman, the publisher of the Conservative news website Conservative Home, recommended that Ms. Mordaunt resign “for the welfare of the Conservative Party and the country.”
The campaign for Ms. Mordaunt, however, stated that she was “reaching to colleagues from across the party” and was “in it to win it.”
Her team asserted that she was within “touching distance” of securing sufficient funding, whilst Mr. Sunak’s team stated that they were taking nothing for granted.
Damian Green, a cabinet minister in Theresa May’s administration who supports Ms. Mordaunt, stated that her numbers were “far over” the announced number and that she was “confident of reaching 100 before the deadline.”
Mr. Sunak is the odds-on favorite to succeed Ms. Truss as prime minister, and he might do so as early as Monday afternoon if Ms. Mordaunt falls short of the criteria.
Mr. Sunak has been approved by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who canceled many of Ms. Truss’s big economic ideas outlined in September’s mini-budget.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, and former cabinet members Suella Braverman, Priti Patel, and Michael Gove have also criticized the government.
Whoever wins the election will be the third prime minister of the United Kingdom in less than two months.
After the Conservatives secured a resounding majority in the previous general election in 2019, the next election is not expected until at least 2024.
Under the parliamentary political system of the United Kingdom, the next prime minister is not required to call an early general election.
However, opposition parties are increasingly demanding an immediate election, with Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner highlighting that Mr. Sunak has not given a public interview since the beginning of the leadership process.
Ian Blackford, the head of the SNP in Westminster, stated that Conservative MPs should exert pressure on their incoming leader to swiftly call a general election.
In his statement withdrawing from the race, Mr. Johnson stated that he was “uniquely positioned” to prevent a general election, which would be “another calamitous diversion.”
Ms. Dorries, one of his supporters, stated that it is now impossible to avoid a general election, aiming for the two remaining candidates.
The former cultural secretary tweeted that Mr. Sunak and Ms. Mordaunt refused to unify despite Boris’ appeals, which would have rendered governance impossible.
Will Walden, the former director of communications for Ms. Johnson, stated that he believed Mr. Sunak would win the leadership challenge, adding, “I believe this will likely result in a general election.”
However, Home Secretary Grant Shapps dismissed the notion of an early election, asking that people vote for the 2019 Conservative Party platform.
Mr. Shapps stated that, should Rishi become prime minister, the 2019 manifesto would be adhered to more stringently than in recent months.
Ms. Truss succeeded Mr. Johnson after a long leadership contest in the summer. When she resigns, she will be the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.
